Arlington 'Positive' on Streetcar, Despite Missing '14 Federal Funding List

Transportation director: County was not yet at point to negotiate funding with feds.

The fact that the Columbia Pike streetcar project wasn't recommended to receive federal funding next year "isn't an insurmountable roadblock" for the parties that are working on it, Arlington Transportation Director Dennis Leach told Patch this week. "We are taking a positive, forward-looking approach," Leach said. "We are absolutely committed to advancing an excellent environment on Columbia Pike, making it more transit-oriented and more walkable." The streetcar's funding plan assumed the feds would kick in $75 million through Federal Transit Administration's Small Starts program, to which Arlington and Fairfax counties applied in the fall. It also relies on $35 million in state dollars and $140 million in local tax money, mostly from …

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Arlington Board Talks Nuts & Bolts of Columbia Pike Streetcar

Streetcars cost up to $4 million each; buses, up to $800,000.

The Arlington County Board spent two hours Tuesday night receiving information and asking questions about mostly highly technical considerations of the planned Columbia Pike streetcar. They talked about the potential length of the streetcar — or cars, as Arlington is in line to buy 20-plus — their width, how low their floors will be to the ground, how close they can go to the curb and how different types of streetcars make right turns. The conversation, at one point, turned into how many inches the county would gain or lose at so-called "super stops" — stations along Columbia Pike where a streetcar and bus can pick up and drop off people — based on different streetcar dimensions. Arlington County Transportation Director Dennis Leach later …

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Clarendon Cycles

Roads in Arlington Should Be Paved With More Than Good Intentions

The Arlington transportation chief’s response to last week’s concerns over temporary paving highlights the challenges of keeping a growing community’s streets safe.

Last week this column illustrated the dangers of a poorly maintained street construction site. The accompanying video showed a cyclist taken down by a dangerous parallel ridge cut in the pavement that was left in place and unmarked for months. Arlington Patch followed up with an interview of Dennis Leach, the county's transportation director, about Arlington’s street construction policies and practices. It was useful to hear about the systems Arlington has in place to manage street construction. But they’re clearly not working well enough. To be clear up front — Mr. Leach is to be commended for his leadership of the transportation department. Having had many conversations with him about cycling and Arlington, I think that this county is …

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Mark Blacknell

12:48 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Response from Arlington DES: "Inspector asked contractor to recess plate, backfill/install asphalt until work complete b/c in bike lane."   more ›